UKIP Captures Votes Across the UK Leaving Major Parties Realising their Worst Fears

by Editor | May 23, 2014 3:53 am

THE GUARDIAN – Labour was feeling the first tremors of the UKIP political earthquake as Nigel Farage’s surge prevented from making its expected gains and weakened its grip in some of its northern heartlands.

Ukip polled more than a third of the vote in wards in big cities, such as Sunderland, Birmingham and Hull, where it previously had little or no presence. In Labour target seats further south and east, such as Portsmouth, a strong UKIP vote was destroying the party’s hopes of making more than 400 council gains.

The Labour group leader in Portsmouth, John Ferrett, admitted Ukip’s performance was “causing mayhem”. The party also suffered a major blow in a key election battleground after the Conservatives held on to Swindon council, days after Ed Miliband embarrassingly failed to recognise the name of the party’s group leader in the borough.